We read this statement together before every group discussion! It helps transition the group to discussion time, it reaffirms our highest values, and sets a tone of trust, consistency, and safety for everyone in the group.

We are a group of imperfect people pursuing a perfect God. We exist to help each other find and follow Christ. These are some things we want to be true of our group:

We create a safe and honest environment, staying transparent and authentic.

We keep it inside the circle. Confidentiality is necessary for a healthy group.

We look together to the Bible for help and guidance, and keep out our own politics, sales, or agendas.

We do not try to fix each other, preach sermons, or give unsolicited advice. We instead encourage, listen to, and celebrate each other.

We handle conflict between us quickly and honestly by going to the person, owning our part, and practicing forgiveness.

We respect each others’ time by starting and ending when we say we will.

We trust that it is God’s role to change people, not ours.

We believe that in Jesus Christ, there is hope for everyone.

In this series at Mission, we have been uncovering some of the false narratives we have in our minds about who God is. It's possible for God to transform our lives, but first we've got to get the right picture of God in our heads, train our souls in the practices that give us life, and get into circles of people where we are known and loved. This week, Mike talked about a God who is altogether GOOD, no matter what the world around us seems to say.

CONNECT

We all have probably had conversations with people around the question of if God is good. What kinds of conversations with people have you had on the subject? Which side of the conversation have you been on?

What makes it hard to believe that God is good?

DISCOVER

Read John 9:1-7 together.

1 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. 2 “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?”

3 “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. 4 We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. 5 But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.”

6 Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes. 7 He told him, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “sent”). So the man went and washed and came back seeing!”

The disciples ask what seems to be a silly question, but this way of thinking often runs deep in us and how we see the world. Do you find yourself seeing the world, your circumstances, or anything else through that lens?

APPLY

Mike asked the question "If you could eliminate all the bad in the world... would you?" He added that that would include all of us... how did that question sit with you? Have you ever thought of the idea that God NOT eliminating all the bad in the world is actually Him being patient and loving with us?

Matthew 5:45 says that “God makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.” How does this change how you view your circumstances, or how you treat other people? Is this a hard concept for you to grasp or accept?

Jesus didn't just explain suffering, he experienced suffering. When you think about the fact that God in the flesh chose to experience suffering, how might that have changed how you felt during a time that you were suffering?

Mike said that if God never did another good thing for us, Jesus is enough to sustain us. But that's not an easy thing to trust in and really feel. What in your life might hold you back from being able to say that? What fears, what desires, what pride, might you be equating to God's favor?

The hope of heaven helps us remember that God is good in the midst of circumstances that try to say otherwise. Do you think about heaven often in the midst of trials? How could the thought of heaven change your outlook on some of your circumstances right now even?

What pictures of God do you have that need to "be fired" so that you can more clearly see the God that Jesus reveals? How can you start changing your thinking in your daily life?

EXPERIENCE

Mike said that even more importantly than identifying our own pictures of God, we need to see how our pictures match up to the God that Jesus reveals. So go on the journey of finding that God! Try reading some of the book of Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John (the four Gospels, the historical accounts of Jesus' life) and marking all the places where Jesus describes the character of God!

The God I wish you knew

Is God Good?

*simple way to respond: Have you ever read anything on that subject?*fun way to respond: If you could eliminate all the bad in the world would you?

In all of his stories, Jesus describes a God who seems altogether good and is always out for our good, even if we cannot understand it.

— James Bryan Smith

John 9:1-7

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. 2 “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?”

3 “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. 4 We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work.5 But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.”

6 Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes. 7 He told him, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “sent”). So the man went and washed and came back seeing!”

With the God Jesus knows… We don’t get what we deserve.

Matthew 5:45

“He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.”

God gives blessings to all without regard to behavior. Terrible things happen to wonderful people. Wonderful things happen to awful people. We cannot look around the world we live in and build a case that sinners are punished and righteous people are blessed...reality simply does not bear this out.

— James Bryan Smith

John 16:33

“In this world you will have trouble, but take heart I have over come the world.”

James 1:2-4

“2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing

How do I know God is Good?

*Jesus is enough *Jesus doesn’t just explain suffering, He experienced suffering *God is with me *Hope of Heaven